<i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Nepeta cataria</span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> L.</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">, ...<i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Nepeta cataria</span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> L.</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">, commonly known as catmint or catnip, belongs to the family </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">“</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Lamiaceae</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">”</span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> and is indigenous to Europe and Asia. The essential oil of this species is known for the richness and diversity of nepetalactones (NPL) which are used as mosquito/insect repellents in perfumery and cosmetic industries. Reports on Indian catmint germplasm are very meager and warrants exploration of its commercial potential as a natural, non-toxic source of insect repellents. With this objective, commercial open-pollinated seeds of catmint collected from its native, temperate habitat in Himalayas were introduced in the tropical plains. Subsequent to adaptation to a new zone we were able to isolate nineteen individual plants based on plant growth. Hydrodistillation of the fresh herb yielded essential oil in the range of 0.01% to 0.2%. Gas Chromatography (GC) and GC-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses of the oil revealed the dominance of monoterpene hydrocarbon, namely, </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">4aα,7α,7aα NPL</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> (1) isomer (84%). The other two isomers of nepetalactone, </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">4aα,7α,7aβ NPL</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> (2) and </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">4aα,7β,7aα NPL</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> (3) were also present, although in very </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">less</span><span style="font-family:"color:red;"> </span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">amounts (1.0% and 1.6%, respectively). Sesquiterpenes identified were α-humulene (traces), (</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">E</span></i><s展开更多
文摘<i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Nepeta cataria</span></i><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> L.</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">, commonly known as catmint or catnip, belongs to the family </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">“</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Lamiaceae</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">”</span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> and is indigenous to Europe and Asia. The essential oil of this species is known for the richness and diversity of nepetalactones (NPL) which are used as mosquito/insect repellents in perfumery and cosmetic industries. Reports on Indian catmint germplasm are very meager and warrants exploration of its commercial potential as a natural, non-toxic source of insect repellents. With this objective, commercial open-pollinated seeds of catmint collected from its native, temperate habitat in Himalayas were introduced in the tropical plains. Subsequent to adaptation to a new zone we were able to isolate nineteen individual plants based on plant growth. Hydrodistillation of the fresh herb yielded essential oil in the range of 0.01% to 0.2%. Gas Chromatography (GC) and GC-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses of the oil revealed the dominance of monoterpene hydrocarbon, namely, </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">4aα,7α,7aα NPL</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> (1) isomer (84%). The other two isomers of nepetalactone, </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">4aα,7α,7aβ NPL</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> (2) and </span><b><span style="font-family:Verdana;">4aα,7β,7aα NPL</span></b><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> (3) were also present, although in very </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">less</span><span style="font-family:"color:red;"> </span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">amounts (1.0% and 1.6%, respectively). Sesquiterpenes identified were α-humulene (traces), (</span><i><span style="font-family:Verdana;">E</span></i><s
